The Egyptian-Eritrean Business Forum began on Saturday May 16, 2026 with the participation of Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty and Economic Counsellor to the Eritrean President Hagos Ghebrehiwet. The forum aims to explore ways of enhancing trade, economic and investment cooperation.
Also participating were Sherif El Gabaly, chairman of the African Affairs Committee at Egypt’s parliament, alongside representatives of Egyptian and Eritrean companies. Abdelatty said the forum reflected directives from President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with Eritrea across multiple sectors in pursuit of shared interests.
He praised a recent visit to Cairo by Ghebrehiwet and Eritrea’s trade and industry minister, describing talks with Egyptian officials as productive. He said the current visit, which includes Egypt’s transport minister and a delegation of business leaders and private-sector representatives, aimed to sustain momentum in bilateral relations and open new avenues for economic and investment cooperation.
Abdelatty said Egypt was keen to expand cooperation in sectors including transport, construction, pharmaceuticals, mining, fisheries, railways and logistics, in support of Eritrea’s development efforts and broader regional integration in the Horn of Africa. He also stressed the importance of continuing technical support, capacity-building and training programmes for Eritrean professionals, while encouraging greater participation by Egyptian private-sector firms in the Eritrean market and boosting Egyptian exports.
For his part, Ghebrehiwet said Eritrea appreciated the momentum in ties with Egypt and was committed to working closely with Cairo to benefit from Egyptian expertise in development and reconstruction. The forum included discussions between Egyptian and Eritrean companies on investment opportunities, joint projects and ways to remove obstacles facing businesses.
Abdelatty said the Egyptian government would continue supporting Egyptian companies and strengthening coordination with Eritrean authorities to reinforce economic partnership between the two countries.